Electric sign.



F. R. CRANE, JR.

ELECTRIC SIGN. uPLxoATIoH FILED JAN.22,19`13.

` 'mamma oen-14,1913

2I SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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I NEIN!! F. R..GB,ANE, JR. ELECTRIC SIGN.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 22.1913.

Patented 0015.141913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.4

UNITED STATES PATENT' orrion.

iRANK R. CRNE, JR., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, .ASSGNOR, BY :DIRECT AND "MESNKE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CRANE ELECTRIC SPECIALTY COMPANY, A CORFOBATION Oli' ILLINOIS.

'ELECTRIC SIGN.

application una January '2a. 1913. serial no. 743,459.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l', FRANK R. CRANE, Jr.,

.a citizen of the United States, residing :it Chicago, county of Cook, and State of lh- ,nis, have invented a new and useful I'mprovement in Electric Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric signs and l particularly to signe in which individual letters or characters are grouped together on a support and individually illuminated.`

My invention may be considered as an improvement over signs in which illuminating filaments are provided at intervals in the body of a letter land all connected with av current supply conductor. In sur-.h construction failure of 'one filament tov burn prop' erly will render the entire letter useless and the letter must be removed from the support and a new letter substituted: This procedure involves considerable expense and besides the'sign is out of commission until the new letter has been'applied und connected in circuit. The first cost of a sign is also con siderable owing to the delicate construction of the letters.

Among the importunt'objects of my invention are; to provide letter structure of `less delicate and more simple construction;

to vprovide letter structures bloujn from glass with the letter proper raised or embocd on a supportingr body; to provide an arrangement whereby the letter structure may be permanently secured to a support und in which electricbulbs'mav be removably inserted; togjprovidc improved ineens on the support fontbiegletter.structures for holdin Q the bulbs in profiel' position Within the struc tures; to provide improved circuit contact arrangement/for the "arious bulbs; to provide improved reflector arrangement in the letter structrirp for reflecting the light from the bulbs t trough the raised letters; and in general, t( 'Ovide improved and simplified construct'of" and arrangement which will enable t e/sign to be kept up without the needof'sliilled persons and which Will enable replacing of light units witlifnit'loss'of service and'with the least cost.

In the accompanying drawings which lillustrate the various features of the invention, Figure l is a front. elevational View of a sign structure, part being broken away,"

Figf is an end View. Fig. 3 a sectional tional view on plane 4 4, Fig. 1,Fig. 'is

vertical central sectional 4View, und Fig. 7 is an underside view showing the circuit :ufrangement for a letter unit.

ing base for the letter structure 1l.

letter structures are blown integral from' glass like'bottles and comprise each o body only sufficient to readily accommodate the light bulbs. The walls of lthe structures are section. rl`he upper and .side coi fiers 16 and ,preteral'ily silvered. The front Walls Q0 are preferably made 'opaque as by painting!v so letters.

parts abut against the top of the support-V circuit arrangement for the light bulbs.

i over such socket a plug 23 of cork or rubber" plugs will be compressed when inserted and will rigldly Secured to the underside of `the base l0 are bus bars 25 and Q6 which are con- I nected with a suitable current supply cir l cuit. The leads 52T and 28 from the lamps tures.

The bulbs shown are cylindrical and elonw gated and of comparatively small diameter,

17. are well rounded to provide reflector surfaces 16 and 17 lfor throwing the lightV toward the letters, these corners und .the backs 18 and the bases 19 of the bodies beingv that the light can be seenonly through the The necks Lof the letter structures fit i snugly into pockets 2l provided in the s'upporting; base 10 and the bases 19 of the body is slipped. the plugs fitting in openings 24 in the supporting base below the pockets 21; The openings preferably taper so that the" secure the lamps in ,place with-- the bulbs extending into the letter struc' a front elevational View of a structure i showing a modified arrangement, 6 is a l' In the drawings 10 represents a. support-"f rIfhe es part 12, a neck 13 and a raised orembossed/ letter 14. The interior 'of they body parti vforms s, compartment for an illuminatingA that o f the letters embossed thereon. vThel .i

of substantially uniform thiclmessuthe eln-A .i bossed letters being4 of semreircular cross ingr base. ln Figs. 1 2 und 3 is shown one Each bulb has a supporting socket and 1 are connected'with the bus bars as by screws 29. With this arrangement, when a' lamp b'urns Outf'or breaksit can readily be disconnected from circuit and removed by withdrawing itsgsupporting plug, and a new .out' of commission for long' 'periods is the case where each letter structure has a plurality of'light filaments permanently secured therein and it is necessary to remove the entire letter structure. Repairs on such letters are very expensive, but with applicants arrangement the expense of restoring a letter to operative condition involves at most only the cost of a new bulb and the replacing of such bulb will not require the services of an electrician but can readily be performed by the owner of the sign.

In Figs. 5, 6 and. 7 is shown a modified' arrangement for supplying current to the lamps in which it is not necessary to disconnect or connect wires where a lamp is to be replaced. The lamp supporting sockets 30 are of insulating material and each has secured to its outside longitudinally extending terminal strips 3l and 32'with which the lamp filament en's are electrically connected through an opening 33 in the base of the supporting socket. penings 34 are provided in the base 10 below the letter structure supporting pockets 35 and at opposite sides of each opening are circuit terminals 3G and 3"? with which the lamp terminal strips 3l and 32 engage when a lamp is inserted into the letter structure. As shown the terminals 3G and 37 have right angle extensions 36 and 37 which are secured to the underside of base 10 by screws 38, and these extensions support contact screws 39 and 40 whereby the bus conductors 25 and 26 may be electrically' Aconnected with the terminals 36 and 37. These conductors are shown diagrammatically Fig. 6 but in practice could be arranged. as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The lamp terminals 3l and 32 and the circuit terminals 36 and .37 are preferably of arcuate cross section in order to better hold the lamps rigidly in. proper position within the letter, structures. The terminals 36 'and 37,are also preferably sprung inwardly as shown 'at the right of Fig. 6 so as to exert pressure against the lamp terminals measure good electrical contact.

f The lower 'ends a1 anote' of the ump terminals may be deflected `over against the baseef the,supporting` socket to be thereby better'held in alinement.

VllVith-the arrangementin Figs.- 5,` 6 and f7,L when. slamp 'becomesfdefeetive it need only ble-extracted and another lamp' insert-- ed, no manipulation of lead or circuit wires being necessary In fa tt, it requiresno more tension.

skill and energy to replace a lamp in such sign than it would require to replace a lamp in any ordinary electric light socket.

I thus provide a very simple and efiicient sign construction which does not require skill to operate and repair. The letter structures need never be removed vand require no atupkeep ei the sign is to replace defective iamps, and such replacing requires neither skill nor any length of time.-

As changes and modifications may be possibleunwhich would still. come within the spiriti-Lof the invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction and nrrangement shown and described, and I claim the 'followings 1. In an electrical sign, the combination of a supporting base having a plurality of pockets 1n its upper side, letter structures each having a neck for engaging inlsaid pockets, said base having openings in its bottom onel to each of said pockets, lamps adapted to be ins'erted into snid`letter structures through said openings and ockets, a plug yfor each lamp receiving the ower end thereof and adapted to engage tightly in the respective opening to securely hold the lamp in position in its structure, circuit terminals for each lamp, and current supply contacts for said terminals.

2. In an electrical sign, the combination of a Vsupporting base having vertical o nings therethrough, letter structures each aving a neck on its base for fitting into the upper end of one of said openings, said structures having transparent letter areas, a lamp extending through each opening and into the corresponding let-ter structure, a. supporting base for each. lamp fitting into the lower end of the respective opening, and circuit connections for said lamps.

l3. In' an electrical sign the combination of a supporting base having openings extending vertically therethrough, a letter structure over each opening having a supporting neck fitting into the upper end ofthe open-` ing a neck tting into one end of said opening, a lamp' estending through said opening and neck and into said letter structure,

"a rsupporting plug for' said lamp fittng into lthe other en d ojsaid opening, lamp .terminuls on sf-.id plug, and circuit terminals in said opening with which said lamp terminnuls engage upon insertion of the; MIIB All that is necessary for eliicient roo.

.said base leading to said structure, a lamp adapted to be vinserted through said opening and int-o the letter structure, terminal contacts on said lamp, and circuit terminalsr on said'base engaged by said contacts upon insertion of the lamp; y

6. In combination,'a hollow letter structure having a neck, a supporting base hav'- ing an opening therethrough into one end 'of which said neck ts,^a. lamp adapted for insertion into said letter structure through rcuit termlnals'secured in said openin said opening and neck, a supporting plug of insulating material for the lamp itting into said opening, contacts on said plug, and oir an engaged bysaideontacts upon insert-lon 0f the lamp.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses this 15th day of January, A. D. 1913, at Chicago, Illinois. FRANK R. CRANE, JR.

Witnesses:

GEO. S. Pmns, HENRY JAMPOLIS. 

